Funky Chicken Coop Tour - Austin, Texas - March 30, 2013

Come find us at AustinCoopTour.org.  See you there!

• Farm Credit: Fence Posts Blog
• Country Line Magazine, February 2012 Issue pg 23
• Central TexasGardener 
• Wheatsville Coop Breeze March/April Edition, pg16 
• Examiner.com
• Austin Post
• Natural Awakenings, April Edition
• KUT, Field and Feast Podcast
  
• KUT, Field and Feast
• KUT, Around Town
• Addie Broyles- Food Matters 
• KEYE We Are Austin Morning
• KEYE Lifestyle Feature
• YNN
• KXAN FirstCast In Garden with John Dromgoole
• KOOP, Shades of Green
• Pandora’s Box 
• Urban Patchwork Neighborhood Farms 
• Appraisal IQ   
• Austin Eco Network Newsletter
• Smart Girls at the Party

• From Our Garden
• Latino Metro  
• Texas Monthly Daily Post 
• The Masters of Horticulture

The 2012 Funky Chicken Coop maps are in!

Your ticket is the 2012 Guide & Map. It contains pictures of the coops and their descriptions as well as a centerfold map with their locations. The cost for the Guide is $10 and can be shared with others in your party. A portion of proceeds past expenses benefits Green Corn Project.

Buy your "ticket(s)" in advance online for pick up the morning of the tour from the Information Center at Buck Moore Feed or the days prior to the tour at Buck Moore Feed during regular business hours. Buy 3 Guides online in the same order and get a FREE 2012 Commemorative poster!

A limited quantity of maps/tickets are available NOW while supplies last at the following locations. You may want to check if maps are in stock before heading over:

• Buck Moore Feed and Supply for NEW tickets and Will Call tickets purchased online through Brown Paper Tickets. Buck Moore is the only place for pickup of tickets purchased online.


• Callahan's General Store off 183 for NEW ticket sales only - NOTE: As of 4/5, Callahan's has 50 maps total left for the tour. When they're gone at Callahan's, they will not be getting more.

Here is our 2012 Coop Lineup. We have a wide variety of selections, including chickens, ducks, goats, automatic chicken doors, architect-built coops, a certified wildlife habitat, an urban farm, an elementary school, and plenty more!

Please see a brief description below to help you plan your tour. You can purchase your 2012 Coop Tour map for $10 and share with other members of your touring party. The map is your "ticket' into the coops for you and members of your touring party. Each map includes a free raffle ticket entry for the multiple prizes, and additional raffle tickets can be purchased at the Information Center on Tour Day. A portion of proceeds past expenses will go to Green Corn Project.

Get your tickets now or on the morning of the tour beginning at 9 a.m. at Buck Moore Feed and Supply.

1		Buck Moore Feed and Supply is Coop Tour Headquarters and the Information Center for the tour. A great place to meet-up with friends, get your ticket(s), and start your tour! Don't miss the "Getting Started with Chickens" 8:30 a.m. class on 4/7, presented by Cameron Molberg with Coyote Creek Farm. See Video... While supplies last, get limited edition 2012 Coop Tour merchandise, including a t-shirt, poster, magnet, and cap, with artwork designed by Andrea Feathers. Don't forget to enter the Tour raffle for a chance to win great prizes, including the grand prize of a complete chicken starter package with chickens, coop and more, sponsored by Mobile Chicken Coops. Visit some of our sponsor booths and vendor tents. Meet members of the Austin Backyard Poultry Meetup and the FCCT volunteers. They are all on hand to help you get started with your tour!
2		6 Chickens: Ameraucana, Black Australorp, Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire Red Coop: 4x8 raised wooden coop with metal & plastic roof For predator protection there is an automatic door which closes before dusk. Also notice the tumbling compost bin made by the owner. Approx. 6 minutes southwest of the Information Center.
3		6 Chickens: Appenzeller Spitzhauben, Cuckoo Marans, Buff Orpington, Black Australorp, Naked Neck, Ameraucana Coop: Plastic Playhouse Castle on top of wooden platform with 5x3 run space See Video... Inspired by the 2010 Funky Chicken Coop Tour, the owners realized a coop didn’t have to be perfect or expensive, just secure: so they found a castle for their new chicks on Craigslist. Approx. 4 minutes southwest of the Information Center.
4		58 Chickens: Spangled Russian Orloff, Sicilian Buttercup, Buckeye, Spanish White Face, Egyptian Fayoumi, Dorking, Dominique, Andalusian, Naked Neck, Swedish Leghorn, plus various popular breeds 24 Ducks: Peking, Khaki Campbell, Golden 300, Magpie, Cayuga, Runner, Welsh Harlequin, Buff, Rouen, Canada Spotted Duck. Australian Wood Duck Lots of Goats Coop: 25x75 run fully covered with netting. Inside is a 4x8 nesting coop and various other structures for the critters to roost and get out of the weather. The fencing is a special wire from Canada which keeps predators from climbing. See Video... This urban working farm is a good example of how you can be in the city and still live a country life. Approx. 6 minutes northwest of the Information Center.
5		12 Chickens: Ameraucana, Bantam Ameraucana, Turken, Bantam Turken, Silkie, Polish, Silkie/Polish, Silkie/Cochin 2 Goats: Dwarf Nigerians Coop: Two levels with a 4x12 bottom & 4x4 second level. Built by the owner with reclaimed wood & materials. See Video... The artfully decorated coop is a combined home for the owner’s chickens and goats, with each having their own area. Approx. 10 minutes northwest of the Information Center.
6		11 Chickens: Barred Plymouth Rock, Ameraucana, Salmon Faverolle Coop: 20x30 including coop and run. Made with corrugated metal, wood, wire mesh, chicken wire, cinder blocks The coop is part of the grounds that include fruit trees, a vegetable garden and various flowering plants including roses. Approx. 13 minutes northwest of the Information Center.
7		10 Chickens: Egyptian Fayoumi, Bantam Silkie, Buff Orpington, White Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, Ameraucana Coop: 4x4 cedar fencing coop with hardware cloth and a corrugated metal roof, connected to a 3x35 run See Video... The yard is a Certified Wildlife Habitat. In addition to chickens, the owner has ornamental and food gardens and practices organic and integrated pest management principals. Approx. 12 minutes northeast of the Information Center.
8		6 Chickens: Blue Andalusian, Hybrid Leghorn, Easter Egger, Black Australorp, Production Red Coop: 10x5x7 made from rough cedar and sun panels See Video... The owner says: “We raise chickens as a part of our effort to live a more simple, self-sufficient lifestyle. ...We compost their waste and try to integrate them into our garden. They are lousy gardeners but great bug exterminators.” Approx. 15 minutes northeast of the Information Center.
9		6 Chickens: Rhode Island Reds, Cuckoo Marans, Ameraucanas, Barred Plymouth Rock Coop: 3x3x41/2’coop with 7/11/4’ run home made from free wood pallets with corrugated roof, chicken wire & hardware cloth. See Video... This coop also features a homemade automatic door & gravity fed feeder & waterer. Approx. 14 minutes east of the Information Center.
10		100+ Chickens: Leghorns, Buff Orpington, Red Sexlink, Speckled Sussex, Auracana, Black Australorp, Cochin, Delaware, Marans, Plymouth Rock, Minorca, Rhode Island Red, Wyandotte 21 Ducks: Khaki Campbell, Indian Runner, Rouen, 3 wild Mallards that adopted the farm Coop: 8x20 wooden coop with various separated runs See Video... This urban farm has a farmer’s market. New funky features at the farm are a chicken Palapa that provides shade and keeps their food dry. A new automatic watering trough insures there will be fresh water available. Composting is done inside the run area so the chickens can aid in turning over the compost. Approx. 15 minutes southeast of the Information Center.
11		6 Chickens: Barred Plymouth Rocks, Gold Laced Wyandottes, Welsummers Coop: 6’x4’x7’ made with reclaimed/recycled pine fencing and hardware cloth See Video... The coop is decorated with natural materials and plants reflecting the owners’ artistic abilities. The owner wrote a song about one special chicken, and sings it to her every morning. Approx. 15 minutes southeast of the Information Center.
12		15 Chickens: Frizzle Bantam, Barnevelder, Silver-laced Wyandotte, Production Red, naked Neck, Red sexlink, Australorp, Ameraucana, Brown Leghorn, Dominique, Cuckoo Marans, Minorca Coop: 10x6x8 coop made of plywood, pine boards, hardware cloth & corrugated roofing. See Video... This elementary school raises chickens as a unique addition to a unique school. The coop is integrated into the school’s curriculum. Communities in Schools works with students to teach skills needed for collecting & selling the eggs. Approx. 17 minutes south of the Information Center.
13		5 Chickens: Ameraucana, White Leghorn Cross, Lt. Brahma, Australorp, Rhode Island Red Coop: 8x12 & 8x8 structures made with cattle panels attached to metal support posts, with a galvanized metal roof See Video... Similar to the dog-trot designs of early Texas homes, this architect-built coop is in two sections.A 4’ wooden walkway goes underneath the overhead tunnel so the owner can access the back of the property. Approx. 17 minutes south of the Information Center.
14		7 Chickens: Buff Orpington, Ameraucana, Rhode Island Red, Barred Plymouth Rock, Barnvelder, Brahma, Blue Laced Red Wyandotte Coop: 5x10x8 coop made of recycled materials & hardware cloth. See Video... This pretty little green coop is nestled beneath a large live oak tree giving the birds plenty of shade. The owner & granddaughter researched breeds together to select their birds, and the granddaughter helps with their care. Approx. 15 minutes southeast of the Information Center.
15		5 Chickens: Barred Plymouth Rocks, Rhode Island Reds. Coop: 5’x7’ coop enclosed within 15’x40’ run. Made from recycled wood, corrugated metal and hardware cloth. See Video... The homeowners are avid gardeners, and their home was featured on the Central Texas Gardener TV show last year. Approx. 11 minutes southeast of the Information Center.
16		24 Chickens: Barnevelder, Ameraucana, Sexlink, Buff Orpington, Cochin, Speckled Sussex, Silver Laced Polish Bantam, Bantam Frizzle Rooster, Marans, Leghorns, Rhode Island Red They also have Bunnies. Coop: 8x12 coop & 3 ½ x20 chicken tractor, both made with all reclaimed/recycled materials – wood frame, metal roof, stained glass windows. See Video... The coop and garden are part of Urban Patchwork Farms, a backyard food co-op where neighbors help raise and harvest eggs and veggies grown in the neighborhood, and then share with other neighbors who are doing the same. The yard is full of other gardening interests: a bathtub compost tea maker, a log disk patio, and other features. Approx. 5 minutes northeast of the Information Center.

Do you love chicken art?

So do we!

We have limited edition 2012 Funky Chicken Coop Tour apparel, while supplies last. Shirts, caps, magnets, and posters, from lovely local artist, Andrea Feathers.

Available at:

4/1 Hope Farmer's Market, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

4/7 Funky Chicken Coop Tour Information Center!

For community fellowship, promote sustainability, and sharing/gathering coop design ideas for those interested in backyard chickens.

A coop tour? Can I have chickens in Austin?
Yes, City of Austin's Ordinances allow chickens in the city. Currently this includes hens and roosters. We have the summarized key information here. The full regulations are listed under Animal Regulations in Title 3 of the Austin Ordinances. Keep in mind you should also check on any other local/property restrictions, such as those from your neighborhood's Homeowner's Association, if one exists.

What kinds of coops will be on the tour? Does a coop have to be "funky" to be on the tour?
The coop doesn't have to be "funky" to be on the tour. We're aiming for a wide range of all kinds of coops. We want to show diversity... be it the inexpensive shanty's to the elaborate palace's. The more variety the better!

All coops will be within the Austin City Limits.

WHEN:
April 7, 2012


WHERE:
Buck Moore Feed and Supply

Maps (tickets) for the Tour will be available at The Information Center on the day of the tour starting at 9 a.m. See our Visitor Guidelines. They are also available NOW at Buck Moore Feed and Supply on N. Lamar Blvd. and at Callahan's General Store off 183. Supplies are limited for advanced tickets, so please call ahead if you are going in advance of tour day to pick up a map. Maps are $10/each and can be shared by multiple persons in your party. A portion of proceeds after expenses benefits Green Corn Project.


You can also pre-purchase your maps online in advance for pickup at Buck Moore Feed before tour day during regular business hours OR the morning of the tour beginning at 9 a.m. at The Information Center. NOTE: Map(s) purchased online are NOT available for pickup at locations other than Buck Moore Feed/The Information Center. Pre-purchase 3 maps online in the same online order/transaction, and get a FREE 2012 Commemorative poster! See our Visitor Guidelines...


Want to start reviewing the coop line-up before you get your ticket? See our Coop Photos and Descriptions online.


Stay tuned for additional details on map availability in advance of the Tour day.





Don't miss your chance to win one of our fabulous raffle prizes from our sponsors. The grand prize will be a Chick 'n Coop deluxe package from Mobile Chicken Coops. Raffle tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10. Each purchased Coop Tour map includes a free raffle ticket entry. Learn more about our raffle...


By participating in this voluntary event...

I acknowledge that the Funky Chicken Coop Tour is a voluntary event. I hereby assume all of the risks of participating and/or volunteering in this event. I realize that liability may arise from negligence or carelessness on the part of the persons or entities being released, from dangerous or defective equipment or property owned, maintained or controlled by them or because of their possible liability without fault.

I acknowledge that this Accident Waiver and Release of Liability will be used by the event holders, sponsors, and organizers, in which I may participate and that it will govern my actions and responsibilities at said event.

I hereby take action for myself, my executors, administrators, heirs, next of kin, successors, and assigns as follows: (A) Waive, Release and Discharge from any and all liability for my death, disability, personal injury, property damage, property theft or actions of any kind which may hereafter accrue to me including my traveling to and from this event, THE FOLLOWING ENTITIES OR PERSONS: Urban Poultry Association of Texas, Inc., its directors, Mary Michelle Hernandez, Carla Allen, and Carla Jean Oldenkamp, officers, employees, volunteers, representatives, and agents, the event holders, event sponsors, event directors, event volunteers; (B) Indemnify and Hold Harmless the entities or persons mentioned in this paragraph from any and all liabilities or claims made as a result of participation in this event, whether caused by the negligence of releases or otherwise.

Hope to see you there!

Here's a quick rundown of upcoming poultry events.

Sat Mar 03,9:00 AM
South Central Texas Classic
La Grange Poultry Show
Fayette County Fairgrounds, La Grange, TX
Judge: Steve Jones, Poetry, Texas
Entry Deadline: February 23, 2012
Info: Danny Hughes,
P.O. Box 251,
Garwood, TX 77442.

Sat Mar 03, 6:30 PM
Mad City Chickens
Chicken Movie Night!
Callahan's General Store
501 Bastrop Hwy, Austin, TX

The Funky Chicken Coop Tour Presents: Mad City Chickens Brought to you by the Alamo Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow Sponsored by Callahan's General Store!

Sat Mar 10, 10:00 AM
FANCY FEATHERS 4-H CLUB SHOW TX
Comal County Fairgrounds
E Commerce St, New Braunfels, TX

Sat Apr 07, 10:00 AM
The 4th Annual Funky Chicken Coop Tour!
Join the fun on April 7th, 2012 at the 4th Annual Austin Funky Coop Tour !
Austin's city chickens (and their owners) are anxious to strut their stuff! So mark your calendar!!

Date: April 7th, 2012

Time: 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. **rain or shine**

Location: Austin City Limits (maps will be available for a nominal fee).

Purpose: Coop Design Ideas, Promote Sustainability, Community Fellowship, and Funky Fun!

This year's coop tour promises to be the "Best in Show". Selected backyard poultry enthusiasts will showcase their coops after meeting certain criteria. Coop owners selected will represent our city as chicken ambassadors in the funkiest town in Texas!

Sat Apr 14, 10:30 AM
Coyote Creek Farm Spring Fling & Chicken Thing!
Coyote Creek Organic Feed Mill
13817 Klaus Lane, Elgin, TX

We'll get a tour of the mill and learn the rigors that are involved in making a USDA Certified Organic Feed. We'll also get to see all that goes into producing 100% organic pasture raised soy free eggs. Every single ingredient in their feed is organic and non-GMO, and is tested regularly to ensure that. Bring your questions and come enjoy a fun time on the farm! We'll have a potluck picnic and plenty of time for questions and plain ole chicken chatting, so be sure to mark down a dish if you can bring one!


Sat Apr 21, 8:00 AM
Brazos Valley Poultry Club Trade Days
Tractor Supply
2911 East Austin Street, Giddings, TX

If you're looking to buy chickens and chicken things in springtime, this is the place to be! Bring some empty cages and shop early for the best selections.

If you want to sell poultry, you can rent a table/site for $20, advanced reservations, or $25 the day of the event. Check in 7:00 am – 8:00 am. Sell 8:00 am - 4:00 pm. All poultry vendors must have current PT papers and TAHC sales permit. There will be a concessions stand with a BBQ lunch available for purchase. All proceeds benefit the Brazos Valley Poultry Club, a non-profit organization devoted to exhibition poultry in Texas.

Sat May 05, 1:00 PM
Brazos Valley Poultry Club Summer Lawn Show
Dan Dykes
2970 Spanish Oaks, Brenham, TX

The Lawn Show is a great way to learn what to expect and how to get started exhibiting poultry. We'd like you to "enter" a few birds so we can have them critiqued and answer some questions. We'll have an APA/ABA judge on hand, and it will be handled like a real show, so be sure to bring your P/T papers! But its not a sanctioned show, so you can relax and enjoy the learning.

The show will be limited to 100 birds, and there will be some simple awards for the voted winners. This is a great way to learn step one of exhibition poultry and have easy access to an APA/ABA judge to answer all of your questions, and some of the top breeders in the region. Bring your chickens, and bring a friend and their chickens, and bring some potluck to share! We hope you'll come and enjoy the great time over a Lawn Show full of beautiful chickens!!

Sat May 19, 11:00 AM
Spring Chickenstock
Allen Wranch
3801 Lime Kiln Rd., San Marcos, TX

Save the date for Chickenstock in San Marcos. Thanks to Carla and Henry Allen for hosting this event at their home. Carla has been raising chickens long before it was cool and has quite the setup. Henry is a retired shop teacher, so all Carla's wildest chicken coop security ideas have come true.

Carla will be updating this event with details as we get closer to the date, so stay tuned!

June - Austin Bluebonnet Egg Show - Keep your ears open, because we'll be announcing the date of the second annual Austin Bluebonnet Egg Show in June. Stay tuned for more details or visit the website at www.bluebonnetclassic.com

Hope to see you at one or all of the events!

-BluebonnetEggs

Intoxication might sound entertaining to some, but in the middle of that word is "toxic". Toxic means something is poisonous, and capable of causing injury or death, especially by chemical means. Mycotoxins are metabolic byproducts of mold that occur naturally in grains and can develop in cereals/animal feeds. Some animal feeds are already contaminated with low levels of mycotoxins by the time they are packaged, with corn, wheat middlings and soy as common grain substrates. Since mycotoxic intoxication and its related illnesses causes permanent damage, it is a condition you want to avoid, and a risk you can reduce with proper management of your feed and coops.

Almost all mycotoxins cause permanent damage to cells. They permanently degrade tissues, organs, linings, digestive tracts, reproductive tracts, they damage any cell they can reach. And they are invisible. Mycotoxins act on different organs,and more than several toxins can arise and coexist in any one situation. With more than 300 identified, and more than one organ or system involved, it can be difficult to pinpoint problems before serious damage has occurred. Poultry can suffer "mild" damage and not die, but health and performance is affected for the rest of their life, with decreased resistance to future illness, lower egg production, and unthrifty hatches.

Deadly intoxication, or mycotoxicosis, may present itself in many ways, since any cell of the body can be affected. It can be seen as individual symptoms or combinations of symptoms such as abnormal feathering, weight loss, depressed activity, no response to antibiotics, pale comb, coccidiosis, low appetite, even sudden death. Certain toxins, like aflotoxins, are passed on to the egg white and the yolk, leading to lower birth weights and compromised immune systems in the chicks. Because mycotoxins are so damaging to the health of your poultry, it is most important to accept that they exist, and to take the proper measures as coop, feed, and weather conditions demand.

Mycotoxins need only 50% humidity and 68F to proliferate in feed. Some mycotoxins activate in freezing weather, requiring just a shift in temperature to thrive. More important to know is that only a small amount of mold is needed to produce deadly mycotoxins. A small patch of wetness in the feed, a small spot of mold in a large container of feed can produce enough secondary metabolites, mycotoxins, to contaminate the whole batch. And mycotoxins persist after the mold disappears, invisible destroyers. Just because a moldy or wet clump of feed is removed, does not mean the mycotoxic risk has been removed from the remaining feed. Mycotoxic risks for chicken feed arise anywhere feed is stored, served, or accumulated from spills. Feeding habits that might not be risky when the air is dry can become sudden death traps when the weather changes or the feed gets wet.

Best practices focus on dry feed, clean feeders, and no leftover spills.

Store feed in a cool dry place. Keep the freshest feed on hand by buying smaller amounts more frequently. Use care when serving any feed that has been infested with bugs. While bugs might have an acceptable nutritional conversion rate, comparing bug nutrients to the feed they consume, they produce an increased moisture content in the bag and can stimulate the development of mycotoxins in the bag, even in dry weather conditions.

Empty and clean feeders thoroughly of old feed on a regular basis. Accumulated feed in the feeders absorbs moisture from humid air, from drools and water spills, and stimulates mold growth and the production of mycotoxins. Feed only what they can consume in that feeding. "Timesaving" by putting out too much feed, especially in high humidity, is putting your poultry at risk, with humidity encouraging mold growth and the production of mycotoxins that will permanently damage your chickens. The leftovers age with air exposure, the flavor fading (read - chickens won't eat it), the nutritional content degrades, and the leftovers are at increased risk for moisture and then mold and mycotoxic contamination. Throw out wet feed, damp feed, feed left in dishes after a rain, fines puffed up from humidity - throw it out, or plan on throwing out the next inexplicably dead chicken.

Feed particles spilled and not composted into the soils can also mold and produce mycotoxins. If the feed in the soil does not blend and decompose quickly, it remains a risk for growing mold the next time water is spilled or rain reaches that patch of soil. Do not overfeed, remove all feed spills, and regularly turn or remove dirt from coop floors where spilled feed may have accumulated. It takes just one day of wet soil and humid air to create a toxic environment for your chickens, the mycotoxins invisibly arising from your dirt coop floor.

If you have a wooden coop floor, be sure to keep it clean to the wood, letting no fines or spills cake into the crevices of the wood. Painted wood not only reduces organic contamination in wood crevices, it also reduces those nocturnal parasites that also like to hide in the wood. A small patch of feed crumbles smashed flat and dried onto a wood floor can accumulate over time, perhaps causing no problems for a long time, as long as it stays dry. But it can turn into a mold patch producing lethal mycotoxins when the humidity rises.

Wood shavings are curly delights for harboring wet mash that dries seemingly harmlessly on the thin slice of wood. When feed spills in pine shavings it disappears from sight, from the chickens and from you. Its color and the color as it ages is similar to pine. The pine curl gets smashed flat, trapping spilled feed inside the curl, and just waiting for a little moisture or humidity to fester mold growth and spur the development of mycotoxins. You think your coop is clean, cause the pine shavings look pale and clean, when really they are hiding small feed particles, and whenever the pine shavings get wet or humid they can trigger illnesses in your chickens. If you deep litter with pine shavings, you likely have layers of flattened wood chips and feed at the bottom just waiting for damp conditions. If you don't remove all the wood chips when you clean the coop, the invisible mycotoxins win again.

If you don't know why your chickens are sick, clean the coop! Don't assess if it "looks" dirty or if you can "see" anything. Toxins are invisible. Just clean it. Change out the feed, you can even change the type of feed. I switch to whole grains if wet weather persists. Whole grains can also develop mycotoxins, but they are easier to manage and less absorbent when relative humidity rises. You can switch back to pellets or mash when the weather is dry. Keep the coop floor dry, keep the feed dry, keep the feeders dry. Keep the waterer away from the feeder, to eliminate feed getting wet from water spills or splashes or departing drools.

It is a difficult position to be the caretaker of an animal that has suffered serious organ and tissue damage from mycotoxins. We have compassionate instincts to "save" animals. But if there are symptoms of multiple organ damage, we are likely prolonging suffering. We can end suffering compassionately, or keep them comfortable while nature takes its course. Knowing that mycotoxicosis will reduce egg production, decrease resistance to future illness, pass weakness and even toxins on to the offspring, it is the responsible poultryman who dispatches the ailing ones with decisiveness. The time and attention spent prolonging the suffering of a permanently damaged chicken is better spent attending closer to the health, food, and living conditions of the rest of the flock.

The next time humid weather brings mysterious symptoms or multiple nontreatable symptoms in your birds, the best way to show some love is to change out their feed and clean the coop, and focus your efforts on keeping the healthy ones healthy.

Happy Healthy Chickening!

-BluebonnetEggs

https://www.facebook.com/austinbluebonnet.eggshow

If you are like me, you have a suburban yard in the front, and a chicken yard in the back. Front yard green, back yard not. I put out alfalfa and hay and veggie scraps in the winter to give them some fresh greens. I even try to lure them in the front yard so they will 'mow' it for me, but they don't range far from the open gate.

We've had such wonderful rains that today, tomorrow, anytime soon, is a great time to pull up the dandelions in your front yard and toss them to the chickens in the back yard! The soil is so evenly moist and soft, it is quite easy to pull them out, complete root and all! I can toss the entire clump to the chickens, roots, dirt, and all.

To do it right the first time, make sure you corral every single blade of green in your hand, especially those closest to the ground, and the plant will pull out by the root. If you don't have all of them gathered in your hand when you pull, you run the risk of yanking it off at the base, root still in the ground.

When tossing them an entire plant, roots attached, they are better able to pull off bite sized pieces, and I have less worry of them swallowing pieces too large that might block their crop. They love the dandelions, and eat the flowers and greens down to the stubs. Happy weeding!

-BluebonnetEggs

https://www.facebook.com/austinbluebonnet.eggshow

A tornado blew through northeast Austin last Wednesday. I woke up in the middle of the night as it was passing through the area. Strong winds, and rains blowing in every direction. Love the rain, but most of the pens got soaked, and two mornings later I walked out to the smell of pungent feed rising from the wet coop floors. There is no better call to action than a wet coop. And no worse smell than wet feed!

So I've been doing an early spring cleaning, removing all the deep litter down to the ground and replacing with fresh peat. The old litter is rich humus, ready to turn into the garden soil, or top dress for a slow release from the top down of microbes and organic nutrients. It has the added benefit of moisture retention. These are great times to be waterwise. I can't wait to put it to use!

This week I started moving fences. I took down a temporary fence to keep the coyote down the hill, and used it to fence off my first "pasture" today. I'll fence off two more areas, one for the "tall" garden of plants I can let them roam under once they reach a certain height. And the "short" garden, which will be full of lettuces and legumes and things I'll replant every few weeks as long as the weather and moisture holds out.

I have potatoes in a paper bag on top of the refrigerator, budding roots. This year I have to try growing potatoes in a feed bag. How hard can it be? It either works or it doesn't. And I'm starting sweet potato vines for ornamental shade I can place where they need it the most. This will be a fun year of progress for my back yard pantry!

-Bluebonnet Eggs

Thanks to all who have applied to be 2012 Funky Chicken Coop Tour Hosts with their coops on the tour. The deadline to apply was 1/22/2012. We will be out visiting lots of interesting coops over the next month. Stay tuned for the selections!

You can get more information about attending our 4/7/2012 Coop Tour on our Home Page. We will have maps available for $10/each, to be shared with as many or as few persons as you 'd like. Each map comes with 1 free raffle entry to win a full Coop and Chicken Package for delivery in the Austin area. Learn more on our Raffle page.

Hope to see you on the tour!

Did you know that noone really knows what the uvula is for? Its the thing that hangs down in the back of the mouth. Some think it is for speech, some think it is vestigial for animals that used to drink bending forward. But I think I have discovered its purpose, by studying my roosters panting!!

Now, of course, the uvula would have some effect on sound production and vocal output. Chickens have a hard palate. We have a soft palate. The uvula is slightly muscular, so the soft palate can change shape, and alter the sounds of voice/speech.

But if you really really really pay attention while you are breathing out with your mouth open, you can feel the heat of your own moist breath hit the uvula, and you can feel the increase in moisture as you exhale, just like some of the vapor condenses on the hard palate of the beak. And when you breath back in, you can feel an obvious drop in temperature. And then you swallow! Just like my little rooster!

I think it is a cooling mechanism of the soft palate, and GUESS WHAT?? {WHAT??}

The uvula is capable of producing a high quantity of saliva in a very short period of time! Why does that matter? Because air flow (All that Hot AIR coming out of my mouth) over moisture (saliva) causes cooling! If we are able to cool our temperature orally, by air passing over the saturated uvula, then the second mechanism of cooling, our skin, doesn't have to kick in! I think its the first line of defense, like a fleshy little thermoregulator.

I know, I know, this might be much more fascinating to me than to the chickens, but I think my rooster solved the riddle of the uvula! He gets treats today!!


-BluebonnetEggs


https://www.facebook.com/austinbluebonnet.eggshow

Things you can learn with a chicken on your lap!

Chickens are hot animals with no sweat glands. They generate heat easily, and even in the winter, a chicken needs to cool down. They generate heat from eating, ranging, sunning, pooping, breathing, or just resting with their feathers down. They warm up by huddling together on the roost and produce enough heat to warm the inside of the coop. Feed them well during the day, and they will produce the heat their body needs at night.

Chickens don't sweat. They cool themselves by finding shade, cool water, lowering activity and food consumption, fluffing out their feathers, and panting. So why would a chicken be panting in the winter, or roosting with its mouth open? To cool itself! At the upper range of their normal temperature, 104-107F, they are just a handful of degrees away from life threatening temperatures. They are always mindful of regulating their own body heat, even in temperatures that are cold to us sweat-glanded creatures.

So have you ever REALLy watched a chicken panting? Its just one of those amazing designs of thermodynamics in animal form. When the chicken pants, or breathes with its beak open, it is expelling moist hot air. How does that cool a chicken? Evaporation causes cooling, with the heat transferred to the air, and the water vapor turned to a gas. The chicken cools as the faster moving heated water particles leave the body, and the cooler condensed drops reabsorbed.

Get close enough so you can see the inside of the mouth while its panting. I observed it first with my bantam roo sitting on my chest while I reclined. The beak is V-shaped. If you would project mist towards the narrow part of the V, as happens with exhaling, a certain amount of the moisture leaves the mouth and evaporates, causing cooling, and a certain amount condenses at the V. The moisture collects there, cooling with each exhale, on the roof of its mouth. Until if forms a bead of moisture and the chicken closes its mouth and swallows the cooler drop. And then opens its mouth and starts panting again.

Just amazing, the things you can learn with a chicken on your lap!

-BluebonnetEggs